How To Gain More Time Even When You Think You Don’t Have Enough
Do you know that saying ‘NO’ is a
tool that you can use effectively to gain more time for yourself?
You will be surprised to know
that saying ‘NO’ to someone is a secret to time
management, it’s a tool that
people are aware of but seldom use.
In this blog we are going to talk
about how to say ‘NO’ to others and gain some extra time to do what is more
important to you.
Let’s dive right into it.
Unless and until you are in a
business where saying ‘YES’ to others (customers) and catering to their needs
is your first priority, you should stop saying ‘YES’ to anyone and everyone or
at least think before you say ‘YES’.
If you are not careful, in the
process of pleasing others by saying ‘YES’ to them you will be putting yourself
in stress and destroying your happiness as your whole day will go in making
others happy.
Remember,
if you say ‘Yes’ to others, indirectly you are saying ‘No’ to your work and
what matters to you.
Learn to Say NO Without Sounding Rude
Most people, when they have to
refuse someone they are straight forward and simply say the word ‘No’. Even
though this may be the most effective way, oftentimes this may sound rude to
the other person and may harm your relationship with that person, whether it is
personal or professional. Saying ‘No’ to someone you know is not the same as
saying ‘No’ to a credit card or loan sales person. We cannot be direct when it
comes to saying ‘No’ to our colleagues, friends or family. Coming out as rude is not going to benefit you
in the long run.
How do we
get over this?
It is pretty simple. All you have
to ensure is you always speak in proper and complete sentence. In today’s world
of WhatsApp communication people are using shortcuts and emoji to express their
thoughts or reply. For example, instead of thankyou
some use tq as a short form. If
you notice, there is no q in thank
you. This shortcut has spilled over to verbal communication too. People only
want to talk in monosyllable or two three words.
But if you want to say ‘No’
without hurting the other person’s feelings, it is important that you structure
your thoughts and speak in full and proper sentence. Don’t sound too busy to
speak.
Make use of the word ‘because’, ‘but’. They work like magic
in your sentence.
Let us look at few examples on
how you can refuse someone politely:
1. ‘I’m
sorry I will not be able to help you in finishing this report because… (and you
can give a proper reason explaining your own priority)’
2. ‘I would
have loved to come for the party but…’
3. ‘Not
this week. I have too many things going on. Maybe we can catch up next week if
it’s okay with you.’
4. ‘Hey,
that’s a great plan but I will have to say no because…’
5. ‘No, I
can’t come right now. I am on a deadline and I really need to complete this
assignment.’
It’s not about what
you say, it’s all about how you say it that matters because
how you say creates an emotion inside the listener that can either hurt him or
make him understand your point of view.
Trust you are getting the idea.
Can you think of any other sentences to say no? Do put it in the comment
section for others to benefit from.
ACTIONABLE
Saying no to others, especially
your friends or someone who suddenly drops in and asks for a favour is not an
easy task. If you have not practised saying no,
automatically you will say yes and
then maybe regret it later.
In order to avoid getting into
this trap, it is important to practice saying no.
Here are a few steps you can
follow to practice the art of saying ‘No’:
a.
Practice saying no in front of the mirror
b.
Practice saying no to your own demands before you say to others. This will
boost your confidence as you will get into the habit of saying no. For example,
say you have a project to complete and you feel like watching a new web series.
Say no to watching the web series and work on your project.
c.
Practice speaking with confidence and with clarity. Maintaining proper eye
contact while talking will boost your confidence.
d.
Practice saying no by adding ‘because’. Giving a reason for saying no will add
confidence to your sentence
e. There
may be some people who will put pressure on you to say yes. They will try to
change your mind. In such a scenario, practice saying no using a variety of
sentences. Practice to give reasons for your no in as many creative ways as you
can.
f. Refuse
with a smile or in a friendly way then your refusal will be taken in a positive
way
g. Don’t
say ‘maybe’ or ‘I will try…’ or even ‘I will let you know…’ when in reality you
really want to say no. If you use these words they may take it as yes. They may
leave you alone for now but will keep on coming back to you unless you say a
clear no. If you keep them hanging and then say ‘no’ sometimes they might use this
to emotionally blackmail you by saying, ‘I was depending on you…’ or ‘because
of you I didn’t ask anybody else…’. They may make you feel guilty. So, develop
the courage to say ‘No’.
Next time when someone comes to
you and tries to engage you in an activity that is not your priority you know
what you have to do – just say no in an
assertive and polite manner. They will respect you for that and who knows you
may inspire some of them to follow your path on time management.
In Conclusion
When it comes to time management
everybody seems to be fighting a battle to have control over their time. One
way to win this battle of time management is learning to prioritize your work and
also practising saying ‘NO’ to others without feeling guilty about it. Whether
we have to say no to our friends, colleagues, or boss we can always say ‘no’ with
confidence once we start believing what we are doing is also valuable and is our
top priority for the day.
What other techniques do you
follow to gain time? Do share your thoughts below.
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